venpry

First, I wanted to check in with the members here.

I'm a long time owner of a 1966 Coupe (A Code, C4, Pony, Factory AC) that was purchased new by my grandfather and handed down from kid to kid since then. It ended up in my hands while I was in college (about 1996). After an accident (one of many the car had been in over the years, there isn't a panel that hasn't been worked on; I should also point out a drunk hit me while I was stopped at a red light), the damage to the door was fixed, but one thing after another started going outon the car, so in 2000, the car went up on blocks as I intended to restore the car to it's original glory. The tear down process began, but like most of these projects, time and space constraints along with a couple of moves forced the project to the back burner. A few months ago the project got back under way... the car has now beentorn down to a rolling chassis (sheet metal, drive train and interior have all been pulled) and the car is ready to be stripped of its 5 coats of paint and to have its quarters, tail light panel and radiator support replaced. All I need now is to find a SoCal body shop to do the surgery and paint! None of the mechanical shops here in SD will recommend anyone.

Despite my love for this particular car, I've always coveted the Fastback... so whena 1966FB(A code, C4, Factory AC, Standard interior)came up for sale locally, with virtually no rust or bondo (really, the most structurally sound Mustang either I or my father had seen) I couldn't help myself. The paint had been changed from the stock Nightmist Blue Metallic to Grabber Blue, the suspension needs to be re-done (dampers and bushings are shot, but after 20+ years in dry storage, that's normal) ,the upholstery, carpet and some plastic bits need refreshing, but all of the bright work and dash is in near perfect condition.

What I'm struggling with right now is whether or not I want to go original or upgrade the FB, because it is in such good shape overall. I've been driving high performance modern vehicles ( E46 M3, E60 M5, fE86 MCoupe) for the past few years and want that rush, and the stock 289 C4 combo just doesnt' get it done... then again, as a collector I appreciate keeping things original.

Any thougths would be appreciated.

Cheers.

6t9 stang

Since the 66 has been in the family for so long why not work to restore that to it's original condition. Then, you could upgrade the Fastback to more of a performance based car.